The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-02-03
A Prosperous and Enterprising South
ern Railroad.
ICol. 3. S. Pardee in Baltimore Manufac-
turerS Record
KITTRELL, n. g., Jan. Is, 1887.


KIrTRELL, n. g., Jan. Is, 1887.
Seeking rest after weeks of fatigue and
exposure, your correspondent headed for
tile Davis Hotel at Kittrell, and found all
that he expected. The opinions expressed
concerning it after few days stay last
autumn have been more than confirmed
during the past week. Pure air and water,
comfortable rooms, good beds, glowing
wood fires, genial society, the most bOuntl-
full of tables, and host and landlady who
perpetually study how to increase the COM
fort and ''homeliness'' of their house, are
the combination that attract people to
kittrell, and that have for 20 years given
this hotel fame peculiarly its own. The
rush Of tourists has not begun yet, but there
are many old habtues here already, all
gentlemen Of elegant leisure, who invaria-
bly, Speid the first two months OF the year
here, and then, after season in Florida,
return for the later spring months,
The town OF kittrell lies Oh both sides of
the Raleigh IL CASTOR Railroad, which is
one link of that extensive and well-Ordered
system ca He'd the SeabOard Air Line. This
system combines water and land tranSpOr-
tatiOn for passengers and freight to an eX-
tent unsurpassed by any other on the At
lantic coast. While the railroad proper
begins at Portsmouth, Va, yet its northern
termini may be said to be at Baltimore,
New York, Providence and Boston, for the
lines of steamships running from those
ports and connecting directly with it sup
ply facilities for comfortable travel and
cheap freight transportation between them
and Portsmouth, and then by rail to all
points south of Chesapeake bay. For those
who enjoy a sea voyage, the steamers of the
Old Dominion Line from New York, or of
the Merchants & Miners Transportation
Go. from Providence and Boston, afford
the desired opportunities, while those pre-
terring voyage on inland waters can take
the magnificent Bay Line steamers at Bal
tfmOre, enjoy two choice meals and a good
nights rest, and take the cars at Ports
mouth. / came by the latter route and
found it even more pleasant than had
been led to expect. We left New York at
40 z. NJ, and, without change of cars, ar
rived at the steamer wharf in Baltimore at
$50, and, leaving there few minutes
later, we steamed for Norfolk and Ports
mouth, reaching the latter at $50 A. NJ.
On boarding the steamer we found table
d'hOte supper ready of the most appetizing
kind. and in the morning an equally excel
lent breakfast awaited us. Any one who
can sit down to a menu in which terrapin,
fresh fish, oysters and several kinds of
game are included, and not arise satisfied,
must be hard to please. From Portsmouth
south, the railroad traverSeS q country gen.
orally level and HOMOGENEOUS. The first d.
vision, called the SeaOOard Il Roanoke, eX-
tends to Weldon, where the Wilmington &
mences che second division called the Raj
eigh & Castor. The principal towns on
the first division bear names that were
made familiar during the war by the
marching and cOuntermarching of the
armies of both sides and the frequent Skin
miSheS and larger fights that attended them
Since then the country has recovered from
the disasters of those troubled times, and
the villages along the line show signs of
prosperity greater than existed before the
war: At Weldon this railroad has an eat
ing house at the station, that with exception
pf one at Charlotte, is the hest to be found
south OF Washington. 1t was not the case
p year or two ago, but the company took
the matter in hand, secured competent
landlord, and so arranged their schedules
that their passengers can enjoy good din
ner at their leisure. From Weldon to Kit
trel1 Is a ride of two and half hours Only
On this division the towns passed through
are apparently thriving, and the general
appearance OF the farm houses, Outbuild-
3ngs and fences, as seen from the car win
uOwS, indicate a healthful condition of af-
fairs among the agricplturists.
The Sea6oard Air Line. TO which system
these two divisions belong, covers an extern
siye scope Of country in North Carolina,
aud is steadily adding to its connections,
while doing more than most Southern roads
To develop the country it traverSeS. Its line,
starting at the seab0ard, pursues a south
westerly course ttfouGn Raleigh to Ham
let, where it enters upon another of it, di-
visions, the Carolina! Central, over which
passengers may travel westward to Char
lOtte, or beyond to the foothills of the Blue
Ridge, or eastward TO the great lumber
market and seaport of Wilmington. While
the territory thus trayersed has long been
owned by individuals and to certain ex-
tent occupied, yet but a small proportion of
it has been otherwise than sparSely pOpu-
lated, and much of the country west of
Charlotte remains III its original wildness.
With the intent to Increase the traffic of
the road this Company some time since de-
yised and put in operation plan for facil-
ltating the settlement of new corners and
for building UP diversified industries all
along their lines To this end they ar
ranged a remarkably liberal schedule of
passenger and freight rates, and added to
these many other Inducements They have
by many publications and by exhibitions at
several great exGoslhoDs extensively adj
vertiSed NORTH carolina in general and
their territory jim gaIsieular, and virtually
have made their agelts all over the North
active auxiliaries of this States bureau OF
immigration. As this company has no.
lands for sale aud no other chance of re-
turn fQr IFS laborS and expenditures i'm
these directions, it is entitled to credit for
the forecast and enterprise that perfected
and has kept I'M operation this wise plan.
B. s. P.